Imam Hasan
Ibn Umar: The Most Disciplined Youth You Can Think Of
Besides being the son of Umar and one of the major jurists among the Companions, Abdullah Bin Umar was a man that we would all love to be. His life and his adherence to the Sunnah are quite exceptional. The following narrations collected in Adh-Dhahabi’s Siyar A’lam An-Nubala (4/346-373) and Ibn al-Jawzi’s Sifat As-Safwah (1/214-222) give a glimpse of Ibn Umar’s character:
1 – Life as a youth
Ibn Mas’ud said: “From the most disciplined youth of Quraish in the face of the dunya was Abdullah Bin Umar.”
Jabir Bin Abdullah said: “None of us experienced the dunya, but it affected him, except for Ibn Umar.”
Nafi’ said that Ibn Umar presented himself to fight in Uhud when he was 14 years old, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) refused to allow him. He then presented himself during the Battle of the Trench when he was 15, and he was allowed to fight.
2 – Disciplined adult
Ibn Shihab said that Ibn Umar was about to curse one of his servants, and said: “O Allah, cu-,” but he stopped without completing the word, and then said: “I don’t like to say this word.”
3 – Imitating the Prophet in everything
Zayd Bin Aslam said: “Ibn Umar would dye his beard with saffron until his clothes were colored with it. He was asked about this, and said: “I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) dye his hair with it.”
Ayesha said: “I never saw anyone holding tighter to the original affair than Ibn Umar.”
Malik said that someone informed him: “Ibn Umar would imitate the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and follow his traces and lifestyle and be very keen in this, to the point that we feared for his sanity because of his keenness in this.”
Nafi’ said: “Ibn Umar used to follow the traces of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in every place he prayed. This was to the point that there was a tree that the Prophet would sit under, and Ibn Umar would frequent this tree and water its trunk so that it wouldn’t weaken.”
Nafi’ said that Ibn Umar told him that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told him: “If only we could leave this door (of the mosque) for the women.” So, Ibn Umar never used that door until the day he died.
Hell – The Intensity Of Its Heat And The Vastness Of Its Smoke And Sparks
Allah (SWT) says:
“And those on the left hand – who will be those on the Left Hand? In fierce hot wind and boiling water. And the shadow of black smoke, [that shadow] neither cool nor [even] good“. (56:41-44)
This ayah includes all of the things that people avail themselves of in this world when it is too hot; these three things are water, air, and shade. But the ayah states that these three things will be of no help whatsoever to the people of Hell. The air of Hell is al-Sumoom, which is an intensely hot wind; its water is al-Hameem, boiling water; its shade is al-Yahmoom, which is a part of the smoke of Hell. (at-Takhweef min an-Naar, p.85)
Just as this ayah emphasizes the horrifying position of those on the Left Hand, who are the people of Hell, another ayah emphasizes the horror of Hell itself. Allah (SWT) says:
“But he whose balance [of good deeds] will be [found] light, will have his home in a [bottomless] pit. And what will explain to you what this is? [It is] a Fire blazing fiercely!” (101:8-11)
The shade referred to in the ayah “and the shadow of black smoke” (56:43) is the shade cast by the smoke of Hell. Shade usually makes one feel cool and comfortable, and people love to feel it, but this shade [in Hell] will neither be cool nor pleasant; it is the shadow of black smoke.
The Qur’an tells us that this shade is the smoke of Hell which rises above the Fire:
“Depart you to a shadow [of smoke ascending] in three columns, [which yields] no shade of coolness and is of no use against the Fierce Blaze”. Indeed! It [Hell] throws about sparks [huge] as forts, as if there were [a string of] yellow camels [marching swiftly].” (77:30-33)
This ayah states that the smoke that rises from Hell is so great that it is divided into three columns. It gives shade, but it is not cooling and it offers no protection from the Raging Fire. The sparks that fly from this Fire are like huge castles, and they are likened to yellow or black camels.
Allah (SWT) explained how strong this Fire is, and how it affects the tormented:
“Soon I will cast him into Hellfire. And what will explain to you exactly what Hellfire is? Naught does it permit to endure, and naught does it leave alone! Darkening and changing the color of man!” (74:26-29)
The Fire consumes all, destroying everything and leaving nothing untouched. It burns skin, reaching the bone, melting the contents of the stomach, and exposing what is innermost.
The Prophet (saw) told us: “Fire as we know it is one-seventieth part of the Fire of Hell.” Someone said, “O Messenger of Allah (saw), it is enough as it is!” He said, “It [the fire of Hell] is as if sixty-nine equal portions were added to the fire as we know it.” (al-Bukhaari)
This Fire never dies down, no matter how much time passes:
“So taste you [the results of your evil actions]; no increase shall We give you, except in torment“. (78:30)
“…whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire“. (17:97)
The disbelievers will not taste the luxury of respite, and the torment will not be lessened for them no matter how long it lasts:
“Their torment shall not be lightened nor shall they be helped“. (2:86)
The Fire is rekindled every day as is stated in the hadith reported by Muslim from ‘Amr ibn ‘Absah (ra) who said:
“The Prophet (saw) said, “Pray salaat as-subh (the early morning prayer) then stop praying when the sun is rising until it is fully up, for it rises between the horns of Shaytaan and the disbelievers prostrate to the sun at that time. Then pray, for the prayer is witnessed (by the angels) until the shadow becomes the length of a lance. Then cease prayer, for at that time Hell is heated up. Then when the shadow moves forward, pray..”
al-Bukhaari and Muslim report from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Prophet said, “When it becomes very hot, wait until it cools down to pray because the intense heat is a breeze from Hell“.
The Fire of Hell will be further refueled on the Day of Resurrection when it receives its inhabitants:
“And when Hellfire shall be kindled to a fierce blaze, and when Paradise shall be brought near“. (81:12-13)
Fortune And Misfortune
The Holy Qur’an says: So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers. If a wound (or killing) has touched you, be assured a similar wound (and killing) has touched others (disbelievers). And so are the days (good and not so good), that We give to men by turns, that Allah may test those who believe, and that He may take martyrs from among you. And Allah likes not the Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers) – 3: 139-140.
Believers must not lose heart, nor should they allow grief to overtake them because of what may happen. Eventually, if they remain steadfast they will gain the upper hand because they have faith. Believers submit themselves only to God, while others are worshiping false deities and worldly desires.
The above verses make it plain to the believers that they are indeed on the path of truth. The verses tell the believers that they follow a way of life established by God while the methods followed by other groups have been devised by His creatures.
Moreover, their role is noble, because they have been selected for a position of trust, to convey God’s guidance to all mankind. Other people are unaware of this guidance and have gone astray. Their place on earth is righteous, and it is the righteous that will inherit the earth. Therefore, believers have to demonstrate the strength of their faith by not losing hearts and not grieving. The rules determined by God make it possible that they may score a victory or suffer a defeat, but in due course, after enduring the test and striving for God’s cause, will be in their favor.
“If a wound (or killing) has touched you, be assured a similar wound (and killing) has touched others (disbelievers).”
The misfortune which is said to have befallen the Muslims and the fact that a similar one befell those who reject the truth may be a reference to the Battle of Badr, in which the idolaters suffered a heavy defeat.
On the other hand, it may be a reference to the Battle of Uhud, in which the Muslims were initially close to victory but later came close to defeat. What the Muslims suffered was a fair reward for their disagreement and disobedience. Moreover, it represents an aspect of how the rules of nature established by God never fail. The disagreement among the rearguard of the Muslim army was the result of their greed. In any campaign of struggle, God grants victory to those who strive for His cause, without regard for the petty gains of this world. Another rule of nature that is seen in full operation is the dealing out of fortune and misfortune among people according to their actions and intentions.
In this way, true believers are distinguished from hypocrites. Mistakes are identified and the way ahead becomes very clear.
When hardship is followed by prosperity and the latter is followed by another hardship, people’s true characters emerge. They reveal how clear their vision is, how much they panic, and how patient in adversity they can be, as well as how great their trust in God is and how submissive to His will they are.
Thus true believers are distinguished from those who are hypocrites. Their true intentions are apparent to all. The believers who submit themselves to God are strengthened by the fact that those who do not truly submit to God are identified and excluded. God knows all secrets and He is aware of those who are true believers and those who are not. But the alternation of days of fortune and misfortune does not merely reveal secrets; it also translates faith into action and compels hypocrisy to express itself in practical measures. Hence, it is an action that merits reward.
God does not hold people to account for what He knows of their position, but He counts their actions for or against them. The cycle of hardship and prosperity is an accurate criterion. Prosperity is as good a test as hardship. Some people may withstand hardship but become complacent when they are tested with ease and prosperity. A true believer is one who remains steadfast in adversity and is not lured away by prosperity. He knows that whatever befalls him – good or evil – happens only with God’s permission.
In the process of molding the Muslim community and preparing it for the role of leadership of humankind, God tests it with hardship after prosperity and with a bitter defeat after a spectacular victory. Both happen according to the laws of nature which never fail. That is because God wants true believers to learn what brings them victory and what causes defeat. Thus, they become more obedient to God and reliant on Him. Through the cycle of fortune and misfortune, they become aware of the true nature of the Islamic way of life and what is required to implement it.
Asal Kamiyabi Or Naakami Ka Din
Asal Kamiyabi Or Naakami Ka Din
Importance Of Zakah
Zakah (alms) is one of the five pillars of Islam. Its importance can be realized from the fact that in 82 verses of the Qur’an Zakah is associated with prayer (Salah), such as :
Establish regular prayer and give Zakah, and obey Allah and his messenger. Quran (33:33)
If social justice and compassion to fellow humans who are disadvantaged is one of the central themes in the message of Allah to humanity,
Then it is no wonder that Zakah, like prayer and fasting, was also enjoined upon the people of the past messengers:
And we made them ( descendants of Abraham ) leaders, guiding by our command, and we sent them inspiration to do good deeds, to establish regular prayers, and to practice Zakah; and they constantly served us. Quran (21:73)
The Benefits 0f Giving Zakah
1.. It Purifies Your Wealth As Allah Ta’ala Says in The Qur’an:
Take alms from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it and pray for them. Quran (9:103)
2.. It keeps one away from sin and saves the giver from the moral ill arising from the love and greed of wealth.
3.. Through Zakah, the poor are cared for, these include widows, orphans, the disabled, the needy, and the destitute.
Zakah is the right of the poor. Zakah is not considered a favor that is given to the poor by the rich. It is the right of the poor to the wealth of the rich. Allah says:
..(In their) wealth there is a known share for the beggars and the destitute. Quran (70:24-25)
Zakah, therefore, is unlike charity which is given to the needy voluntarily. Withholding Zakah is considered to deprive the poor of their due share. Thus one who pays Zakah actually ” Purifies ” his wealth by separating from it the portion that belongs to the poor.
His Longtime Servant
In Makkah the home life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was generally comfortable, because his wife ensured that he had all what he wanted. She was rich and conducted her own trade, sending her merchandise with the traditional trade caravans the Quraysh used to send in summer and winter to Syria and Yemen. When he emigrated to Madinah, he was not accompanied by any servant. Khadeejah had died three years earlier, and the Prophet traveled with only his close companion, Abu Bakr. For the first few months after arriving in Madinah, the Prophet stayed in Abu Ayyub’s home, where he was served by people around him. He never asked any of them for anything.
One of the Ansars, the Prophet’s companion from Madinah, felt that the Prophet needed a personal servant. He took his stepson, Anas ibn Malik, to the Prophet and told him: “Messenger of God! Anas is an intelligent lad. Let him serve you.” The Prophet accepted. This was the beginning of a 10-year association for Anas, who was then only 10 or 12 years of age. Anas accompanied the Prophet to the last day of his blessed life, realizing that he could not have hoped for a better position. The Prophet’s household was such that no servant was at the receiving end of any abuse, physical or verbal.
As a young lad, Anas could be excused if at times he was negligent of what was assigned to him. The Prophet once sent him on an errand, but on the way, he saw some of his friends playing. Joining them was so attractive, and the boy could not resist. He forgot his errand and was fully engaged in the play. Sometime later, he felt someone pulling him by his robe. Turning back, he saw the Prophet beaming with a smile. He told him endearingly: ‘Unays! (This is a short form of Anas) Go where I sent you.’ That was all the rebuke Anas received on this occasion. We can imagine how masters react if they see a servant playing in the street instead of attending to the business they are told to do. Yet the Prophet just smiled and told Anas to do what he was told.
This was the Prophet’s attitude throughout his life, with all those who served him. Anas reports: “I served the Prophet (peace be upon him) for ten years, on his journeys and at home. He never said to me as much as ‘Ugh!’ He never said about something I did, why I did so, nor did he ever say anything I left undone, why I did not do it. Never did he say to me that I did something badly, nor did he ever criticize anything I did. If I slackened in doing what he ordered, he never reproached me. If anyone of his family criticized me, he would tell them: ‘Leave him alone. Had it been possible for that thing to happen, it would have happened.'” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
Women As Housewives
The notion that Islam ties the woman down to a homemaker’s role is frequently heard as a reflection on the way things are, and this is why it is worth discussing. But before going into the depth of the subject, we should point out the presence of two kinds of rulings in Islam.
The first kind is the binding rules that necessitate a person to do something or not to do it, and they are called the obligation and prohibition rules.
The second consists of the rules that urge a person to do something but do not compel him to do it; or exactly the opposite, wishing him not to do something but at the same time do not prevent him from doing it. They are called the preferable and the detested or the rules that allow a person the possibility of choosing whether to do or not to do, and so they are called the allowed.
Well, does Islam oblige a woman to be a housewife before and after marriage? According to Islam, no one, whether father, mother, brother, or any relative, is authorized to legitimately oblige the woman to manage domestic work in her parental house before marriage. So, housework is not imposed on women just like neither the father nor the mother has the legitimate right to oblige the boy to handle housework.
Yes, she can take on this charge if she willingly volunteers to, out of the sense of responsibility towards the house that is taking care of her. And when the girl becomes a wife, the fact that she manages the domestic work in her house or does not, will also remain a voluntary matter that is up to her to decide. The contract of marriage does not bind women, from a legal aspect, to do housework, not even to rear their children and take care of them, unless the two married people worked on including the performance of these tasks in the marriage contract under special terms. But Islam does not consider women’s housework as one of the marriage contract articles, and it also does not require the women to carry out any kind of jobs outside the home to support her family or to contribute toward supporting it. On the basis of the marriage contract, a man can demand nothing from his wife but the rights to the private marital relationship and all that are related to it. Anything other than that, such as arranging the household affairs and bringing up the children, would not be imposed on her. From this perspective, we can approach the issue of women’s work in the house as women’s finest contribution that completes men’s finest contribution.
When Islam didn’t force women to manage household affairs, it offered them the opportunity to participate in building the society they live in. From an Islamic point of view, women are as responsible as men to help people find their way to God and to guide society to the right path with all the power they have. And as we have previously mentioned, women are also charged to enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil, the thing that represents the social practical surveillance against deviation in all the domains of life; a role that might get to the level of revolt against unjustness and deviation.
Ahel E Fikar Kay Liya Yaad Dahani
Effective Approach To Raise Children
One of the most effective approaches to raising children, especially those who are a bit older, is to instill in them proper values – teach them to distinguish right from wrong – and then step back and give them some leeway to monitor themselves. This means that they first need to learn what is right and wrong to the point where they begin to internalize it, and then they need to be given opportunities to put into practice what they have learned so that they gain experience.
As far as boycotting certain media outright and engaging in constant and perpetual monitoring of their movements, though it may provide some real and substantial benefits in the short run, it is doomed to fail in the long run.
Moreover, sooner or later, the children will find a way to get access to what is forbidden to them.
Older children and adolescents are resourceful, and no matter how strictly and carefully they are monitored, they will find a way to get access to watch what is prohibited to them. Everything that is forbidden becomes enticing to young people simply because it is forbidden.
Therefore, it is best for you to experiment with them. Teach them what is right and then give them some leeway to put what you teach them into practice. Let them watch some common programs in your company and let them identify what is right or wrong about those programs. Let them identify what is lawful behavior and what is unlawful in Islam. You can still intervene when you have to – especially when they fail to distinguish what is good from what is reprehensible.
If you find that this approach helps them develop their own consciousness of these matters, then this is for the best.
If, in the long run, they show an unwillingness or inability to conduct themselves properly, then you must be straightforward with them. Tell them that you gave them a chance to monitor themselves, and gave them time to prove themselves, but they have failed. Tell them that you will give them a chance again in the future when you feel that they are more ready. Keep trying until you instill in them the ability to make good choices on their own.
Once you succeed in this, you will have provided them with an upbringing that will prove better and more beneficial for them in the long run.